Two years ago, Ben Greenwood’s parents walked out the door and never returned. The police have all but given up finding them when Ben stumbles upon a peculiar letter addressed to his dad. “You are the most wanted man in the Unseen Kingdoms. Unless you come to us, we cannot help. For your child’s sake, tell us what you know.”

The letter is from an organisation called the Royal Institute of Magic and is dated a day before his parents disappeared. Like most people, fourteen-year-old Ben hasn’t the faintest idea what the Royal Institute of Magic is, but he has his first clue: the logo on the letter.

Armed with nothing but his wits and the help of his good friend Charlie, Ben sets out to find the Institute and, through them, his parents. To succeed, he will have to navigate a land filled with fantastic creatures and Spellshooters, where magic can be bought and sold, to unravel an ancient family secret that could hold the key to defeating an evil the Institute has been fighting for the last five hundred years. – GOODREADS

My Review

This first book in The Royal Institute of Magic series is a great tale of discovery. It’s an engaging read that follows the trials of a young boy as he learns of his parent’s past while trying to find out what happened to them.

This is a book of family secrets that cast two friends on an adventure they could never have imagined. Ben and Charlie are two friends that are like two peas in a pod. Kudos to the author for these two. He nailed their relationship so well, and the dialogue between them is spot on. They are totally believable and endearing characters.

Dragons, goblins, elves and magic. This book is crammed with plenty of things to attract readers. There’s something for everyone. From their journey to find the highly secret Royal Institute of Magic, to the dragon train that takes them to Taecia (which sounds amazing), Kloss has created a whole new world that exists beyond what we see every day. It’s a hidden treasure that is vividly described, inspiring amazing visions as I read.

In addition to Ben and Charlie, there is a cast of other great characters. There’s Aryan, the dark elf, who reminded me very much of Draco Malfoy. And there’s Natalie whose intellect is a cut above the rest. She doesn’t miss a beat, and knows Ben’s plans before he even makes the decision to share them with her. The underlying story here is one of great friendship and a search for answers. Ben is learning of his parent’s past, and it’s not always what he wants to hear. But throughout the book, he remains loyal to them and longs to clear their names.

There’s also lessons about learning to know who to trust, which is something that takes plenty of practice for everyone. I hope to read many more adventures of Ben and Charlie.

Elizabeth’s Legacy is a good start to a series, and the search for Ben’s parents is set to continue into next books. Given the subject matter, it’s natural for other wizarding books to come to mind, but I think the author has succeeded in building a world sufficiently different to those that we already know.

More from Victor Kloss

Note: I don’t claim to be a pro-reviewer, I am a reader. My reviews are based on my personal thoughts around the story that the book is trying to tell. I try to focus on the story (which is the reason I read) rather than dissect the book and pass comment on typos, writing style or structure.

Connect with S.W. Lothian

What I’m currently working on

New York City has a secret.

The first book of my new YA series, SUBWAY | PALLIATOPIA, was released in April 2018. It’s an incredible story full of thrilling twists and suspense, where the characters find themselves in the middle of a nightmare beyond belief.

If you love The Hunger Games/The Maze Runner/The 5th Wave/Divergent, then you won’t be able to resist SUBWAY | PALLIATOPIA.

Change is also in the air for the QUEST series. I’ve decided it’s time to rebrand and refresh the series for an older teen/YA audience before I release Book 4, THE MISSING LINK. The newly rebooted QUEST series (including Book 4) will be out in late 2018.

I have redesigned the covers for my TIME SQUARE series. I think that they now reflect the fluidity, disintegration, and movement of everything through time.

Book 3 of the series, TIME SQUARE | TRIANGLE, will see Team ELMR head off on another incredible adventure. I hope to release it in 2019.